ACE Nursing Applicant Guide Mid Year 2018
Contents Introduction... 4 Overview... 4 How it works... 4 Explanation of the ACE Match Algorithm... 5 How this works... 5 Part One: The Application Process... 7 Re-applicants... 7 First Time Applicants... 7 Eligibility... 8 Background Information on NETP and NESP Programmes... 8 How ACE Nursing Works... 9 Apply... 9 Interview & Assessments... 9 Algorithm Match... 9 Job Offers... 9 Recommendations... 9 How to Register Both NETP and NESP Positions... 10 First Time Applicants... 10 Re-Applications... 10 How to Apply... 11 Applying to NETP and/or NESP... 11 To apply for NESP... 11 To apply for NETP... 11 To apply for both NETP and NESP... 11 Applying to Primary Health Care Positions... 11 Applying to Aged Residential Care Positions... 12 Applying to Private Health Sector Positions... 12 Applying to Southern Cross Hospitals... 12 Applying to the Voluntary Bonding Scheme... 12 2018 Intake Timelines... 13 Mid-Year Intake 2018... 13 End of Year Intake 2018... 13 Ace Process Flow Diagram... 14 Part Two: ACE Application Step-by-Step Guide... 15 The Ace Process... 15 Navigation... 15 Register and Create your Profile... 16 Register... 16 2
Create Profile... 17 Start Your Application... 18 Eligibility for ACE Nursing... 18 Personal Details... 20 Education... 22 Academic Transcripts... 23 Transition to Placement... 23 Clinical Experience... 23 Declaration... 23 ACE Preferences... 25 Employer Preferences... 25 Practice Settings... 25 Mental Health and Addictions (NESP)... 26 Documentation... 28 Identification and Residency Documents... 28 Academic Transcripts... 28 Cover Letters... 28 CV or Resume... 29 Referee Reports... 31 Submit... 34 Standardised Reference Check Form... 36 Final Placement Late Starts... 36 Workforce Questionnaire... 37 Consent... 38 Complete Application... 39 The ACE Score (151 points in total)... 40 Overview... 40 Referee Report Cards (140 points, 70 points per reference)... 40 Fit to Practice (5 points)... 40 Academic Transcripts (3 points)... 40 Scholarships (3 points)... 40 Part Three: What Happens After Applications Close... 41 Employer Interviews and Assessments... 41 Day after State Finals... 42 Successful Applicants... 43 Unsuccessful Applicants... 43 Re-applying to ACE... 44 Useful Links & Information... 44 3
Introduction There are three parts to this guide book Part One: The application process. Part Two: A step-by-step guide to completing the application online. Part Three: What happens after applications close? If you have any questions about the application, please see the FAQ sections on the ACE Nursing Website. ACE also recommends you regularly visit our Facebook Page to view important updates. You can also see other applicants questions and answers, or ask your own questions. Alternatively, you can contact ACE on 0800 223 236 or email us. To ensure you are getting accurate information, it s always best to check with the ACE Centre! Overview The Advanced Choice of Employment (ACE) is the ONLY way to apply for a Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) or New Entry to Specialist Practice (NESP) graduate training programme in New Zealand. ACE is a single application tool that allows graduate Nurses throughout the country to put in one application which is then distributed to up to 3 employers throughout the country according to which employers they most prefer to work. Please note that this is not the only way to find a nursing position. You are still able to apply for RN positions directly to employers and other employers via their career webpages or the Kiwi Health Jobs website and other job search sites. How it works You have 4 weeks between 11th April and 8th May 2018 to submit your application to ACE including cover letter(s), CV, residency documents and references. You will also select up to 3 employers that you would most like to work in, ranking them in preference order, AND you will list up to 3 practice setting areas you prefer. ACE will then distribute your application to the employers you ve ranked. Employers will assess all applications, interview their preferred applicants and then rank their applicants in preference order. ACE will take the list of ranked applicants from each employer and then perform a complex matching algorithm that aims to match you to one of your 3 preferred employers provided they have also ranked you as a preferred candidate. The algorithm aims to match you to your highest preferred employer where possible. Following this, you will be sent a single offer letter from the employer you ve been successfully matched to OR, if not successfully matched in the first instance, you will be placed into a talent pool of candidates and sent to all the employers (not just your preferred ones) and they will use that talent pool to fill any remaining vacancies and any NETP and NESP positions that come up outside of the ACE application timeframe. The ACE process may at first seem a little overwhelming but throughout the ACE process you can find help via multiple avenues. You can visit the ACE Nursing Website, download the ACE Applicant Guide, ask questions on the ACE Nursing Facebook page or contact the ACE consultant via email or via phone Monday - Friday between 8am - 4.30pm on 0800 223 236. 4
Explanation of the ACE Match Algorithm The Match algorithm operates based on the following principles 1. The employer ranking of applicants takes the highest priority. This way, the employer s highest ranked applicants have the best chance of being matched to a position. 2. The applicant s employer preference takes second priority. This way, if an employer highly prefers an applicant, the algorithm favours the applicant s choice of employer from first to second to third. 3. The algorithm will only match applicants who select NESP to NESP positions and applicants who select NETP to NETP positions. This way only applicant s that the employers ranked for NESP can be matched to NESP positions. Please note applicants who rank Mental Health and Addictions as their first choice practice setting have the best chance of being considered for NESP positions. 4. Each applicant can only be matched to 1 employer/position (this has not changed from the previous process). How this works The ACE algorithm first looks at all the highest ranked applicants who were ranked above that employer s quota line (The quota line refers to the employer s number of vacancies. So if Auckland DHB has 30 vacancies, all applicants ranked from 1 30 are therefore above the quota line for Auckland DHB). First Sweep: The algorithm first aims to match all applicants ranked above the quota line for each employer to their first preferred employer where possible, i.e. if Auckland DHB has ranked you as their first preferred applicant and you have also ranked Auckland DHB as your first preferred DHB, you will automatically be matched. Second Sweep: The algorithm then sweeps through any remaining applicants still above the quota line of each employer and will match them to their second preferred employer where possible. Third Sweep: If any applicants ranked above the line still remain unmatched, the algorithm will match them to their third preferred employer. At this point, if there are still vacancies remaining, the algorithm then looks at applicants ranked below the quota line. (To explain, if Capital & Coast DHB has 30 positions but has ranked 60 applicants, all applicants ranked from 31 60 therefore fall below the quota line). By this stage, the algorithm will look at each applicant below the line in employer preference order, i.e. it will try to match applicant number 31 first, then 32, and so on, always aiming to match the applicant to their highest preferred employer where possible. Applicants should be aware that: They should only prefer employers that they are happy to work in. If an applicant is matched to one of these employers, this is the single job offer they will receive. If the applicant rejects this offer it may be extremely difficult to find a graduate position within an employer as they will be excluded from that ACE intake and therefore cannot be offered a position from the ACE Talent Pool. To have the best chance of securing a position, applicants should preference more than one employer. Note applicants details can only be seen by the employers that they prefer (up to three) prior to the ACE match and these employers cannot see in which order an applicant preferenced them. Applicants should start to think seriously about which specialty or specialties they favour. As part of the ACE application process, they will be required to choose at least one from a list that will include a wide variety of specialties to choose from. Note, it is also important that applicants consider the areas employer indicate they have vacancies. Each employer is encouraged to make available to applicants in advance the areas they intend to recruit to for each intake. This information can be found on individual employer websites, which you can link to from our Employer Information page. The match process does not take into account applicant practice setting preferences, only employer preferences. Once applicants have been matched to an employer, the employer will then do its utmost to match them to one of their preferred practice setting specialities, provided they 5
have vacancies in that area. Please be aware ACE cannot guarantee that applicants will initially be placed into one of their preferred practice setting areas. When interviewing with an employer it is a good idea to discuss their available specialties and support for their new Graduate Nurses as this will allow applicants to make a more informed decision regarding which employer(s) they would most like to apply to. Once applications close, applicants can change their preferred order of employer s right up to a time immediately after employer interviews have been completed. Please note that after applications close applicants can only update their employer preferences by emailing nursing@acenz.net.nz but are able to update their contact details themselves by logging into their ACE Profile. To confirm the date by which applicants need to have finalised their employer preference order please see the 2018 Intake Dates section. 6
Part One: The Application Process Re-applicants All re-applicants who still meet the eligibility criteria must login to the ACE Nursing Website with their existing user name and password. On the right hand panel you will see 'Applications for Nursing are open' start your new application. All re-applicants need to click and commence their application as though applying for the first time. 2 weeks prior to each intake ACE will send an email to all eligible applicants who have not been employed inviting them to apply. ACE will not automatically upload your previous application, you must log in to your profile to reapply from 11 th April 2018. ACE will transfer key parts of your previous details and documents if and when you re-apply. It is your responsibility to re-apply and complete the rest of your application. Your previous referee details will be retained in your new application. If you would like to change referees, you must contact ACE on 0800 223 236. A new reference request with unique ID will be sent to the referee outlining the next steps and the reference due date. Your referee must complete your reference report form by the time applications close on the 8th May 2018. Your previous certified academic transcript will be uploaded to your new application. If there are additions to your results since you last application, you can upload this new transcript. Note only academic transcripts that meet the requirements outlined in the application requirements section of the site will be able to be attached to your application. To check the eligibility criteria and the full ACE Nursing process further, please see the Application Guide in the ACE Resources section. First Time Applicants If this is your first time applying through ACE, please read ALL the information in this guide. The first thing you should do is review the information available on the ACE Nursing Website. After reviewing all the information on the ACE Nursing Website, you should be ready to start applying for a registered nurse position in a Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) or New Entry to Special Practice (NESP) programme! You can apply simultaneously to up to three employers across New Zealand. These entry programmes have been designed so nursing graduates can commence their careers in New Zealand. Candidates will be wellsupported, safe, skilled and confident in their clinical practice. 7
Eligibility To be eligible to apply to ACE for a NETP or NESP position you must meet all of the following basic criteria 1. Either be a New Zealand Citizen, Australian Citizen or hold a Permanent Resident Visa (or Returning Resident Visa). 2. Be in the final year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree approved by the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) leading to registration as a registered nurse or be awarded a Bachelor of Nursing degree approved by the NCNZ leading to registration as a registered nurse, no longer than 24 months before starting on a NETP/NESP programme. 3. You must have completed your Bachelor of Nursing degree in New Zealand and have passed your state final exam no more than 2 years prior to starting on a NETP/NESP programme. You therefore have up to four opportunities to apply via ACE provided you still meet all eligibility criterions each time you apply. 4. You must have not practised as a New Zealand Registered Nurse continuously (full time 0.8FTE or more) for longer than six months before starting on the NETP programme. Australian Citizens are eligible to apply to ACE nursing however they do not meet the Health Workforce New Zealand (HWNZ) criteria for a funded NETP or NESP position. In the case that a graduate with an Australian Passport, who does not hold a Permanent Resident Visa, is successfully matched via ACE, their position could be funded directly by the employer, or the employer could apply to HWNZ for an exception to the residency status policy for trainee funding. For more information about the HWNZ exception policy, please click here. International students who may have practised as a nurse overseas are eligible to apply providing that they have completed at least two years of their BN degree in New Zealand before Graduating in New Zealand. These students MUST have a Permanent Resident Visa by the time that applications close for any intake. No other variations of visa s will be accepted, for example: Resident, Student or Working Visas. Graduates that do not meet these basic ACE criteria should apply directly to individual employers for private positions. We recommend checking the Job Search page on the Kiwi Health Jobs website as a first point to see which employers may be looking for registered nurse and also by checking the career web pages of each DHB. For further information about Permanent Resident Visa's please click here. For further information about HWNZ funded positions and FTE requirements please click here and navigate to the link 2/B46. Background Information on NETP and NESP Programmes ACE recommends you read through the following websites carefully as these will give you a better understanding of what the two programmes offer, and what they entail. To learn more about the NETP program you should visit the ACE Nursing Website To learn more about the NESP (Mental Health and Addictions) program you should visit the Te Pou o te Whakaaro Nui Website. You will apply for a NESP position through the ACE Nursing Process. You should visit the ACE Nursing Website for additional information. The NESP programme supports nurses new to mental health and addiction (MH&A) services to develop their professional practice while developing the specific skills required for the specialty field of mental health and addiction nursing. Only new graduate nurses will apply for NESP positions through ACE and only those new graduates who meet the basic eligibility requirements noted above can apply. Non-new graduate Nurses (i.e. experienced registered nurses transferring into mental health or addiction) wanting to enter NESP will need to apply directly to the individual employers. You can apply for both NETP and NESP simultaneously using your one ACE application! Full instructions on how to do this are available in the How to apply section on page 11 below. 8
How ACE Nursing Works The ACE Nursing system is tried and tested and has been used by employers to recruit new graduate registered nurses into NETP and NESP programmes since 2012. In addition, the ACE process has been used to recruit all medical school graduate doctors into the 20 NZ DHBs for the past 14 years very successfully. Apply The system will allow you to choose up to three employer locations where you are happy to work, and up to three specialties that you would like to work in and list these in order of your preference. ACE will then forward your application to only those employers you select to review your application through ACE. They can then contact you directly and request you to attend an interview, assessment or selection process. You may be required to attend an interview with more than one employer. Interview & Assessments During these interviews you will be able to make a better informed decision about your preferred employer. Employers will use the interview/selection process to decide if they wish to offer you a place on their NETP or NESP programme. Following the interview process, employers will then advise ACE of all the applicants they would be happy to employ. Algorithm Match The ACE system then takes each employers list of ranked applicants and conducts a complex match process through thousands of iterations, matching graduate s to their most preferred employer where possible, if it cannot match the applicant to their first preferred employer it then attempts to match to their second and third preferred employer respectively. The match will start with the employers highest ranked NESP (Mental Health and Addictions) applicants matching these applicants to their highest preferred employer where possible. It then takes the employers highest ranked NETP applicants and matches those to their highest preferred employer where possible. It then continues to work down the employers NESP and NETP ranking lists until either all vacancies are filled or there are no candidates left on the ranking list. Job Offers Once the match is complete, the results are sent to the individual employers who will send out job offers and subsequently move forward with on-boarding and induction. Those Graduates not successful in the match process will go into a talent pool for later consideration by employers for additional places as they arise. Recommendations Full application details and recommendations are in the ACE Nursing Website but some things you should be aware of are: You should only select employers that you are happy to work in. If you are matched to one of these, you will receive a single job offer, if you reject this offer you will be excluded from that application round and it may be difficult for you to later find a graduate position with an employer. To increase your chance of securing a position in the ACE graduate round you should rank more than one employer and practice setting. Note your details can only be seen by the employers that you rank (up to three) and they cannot see in which order you ranked them. You need to start seriously thinking about which specialty or specialties you favour. As part of your application, you will be required to choose at least one from a list of practice settings that will include a wide variety of specialties. If you are interested in a specific subspecialty and you cannot see it listed, you will need to discuss with the employers you are applying to about which practice setting they would consider it under. You cannot change your practice settings after applications close on 8 th May 2018. Once you have completed your ACE application you can update details and change your choice and order of employers until the closing date. 9
After the application close date you can update contact details and change the order of employer preferences by email right up to a time immediately after interviews have been completed by 9am Monday 2 nd July 2018. That way, you can ask each employer that you secure an interview with about their available specialties and support for their new graduate nurses, then using that information you can make a more informed decision regarding which employer to rank as your first preference. Please note: we cannot guarantee that you will initially be placed into one of the preferred practice settings you have nominated in your application, although employers will make every effort to do so and historically approximately 85 percent of successful applicants obtain a position in their preferred practice setting. How to Register Both NETP and NESP Positions All applications for these graduate positions need to be made through the ACE Nursing Website from 11 th April 2018. Initially you will Register your ACE profile and create your unique login and password. Over the following 4 weeks you will be able to log in and out as often as you like while you update your application with the information we need. The site will spell this out in detail once you have registered as eligible to apply. All applicants will need to complete the online ACE application form in the ACE Nursing Website, even reapplicants who may have previously applied to the ACE process. This form will include details such as name and address but also the required declarations as to health and permissions for us to supply your personal details to potential employers. All applicants will also need to complete their preferences of employers you wish to work for and your preferences for Practice Settings. First Time Applicants If this is your first time applying through ACE, please read ALL the information in this guide. The first thing you should do is review the information available on the ACE Nursing Website. Re-Applications All re-applicants who still meet the eligibility criteria must login to the ACE Nursing Website with their existing user name and password. On the right hand panel you will see 'Applications for Nursing are open' start your new application. All re-applicants need to click and commence their application as though applying for the first time. 10
How to Apply Register with ACE and complete your application by following the steps through the ACE application web site. Navigate to the Preferences section, follow instructions and choose your employers in order of preference. You will then need to choose your preference of Practice Setting (or speciality). For NESP you should choose Mental Health and Addiction. (Please note applicants who rank Mental Health and Addictions as their first choice practice setting have the best chance of being considered for NESP positions). To have the best chance of securing a graduate position, if you have other specialties you are interested in, you should also make a second and third choice. Note that while we can guarantee that if successful you will only receive a job offer from one of your preferred employers, we cannot guarantee that you will initially be placed into one of the preferred practice settings you have nominated in your application, although employers will make every effort to do so. NOTE: If applying to one of Southern Cross Hospitals regions ACE is also not able to guarantee which site within the region you will work at. Applying to NETP and/or NESP Remember, you can apply to both NESP and NETP programmes simultaneously if you choose! To apply for NESP: Simply rank Mental Health & Addictions as one of your three preferred practice setting preferences. This will indicate to employers that you are interested in a position within the NESP programme. By ranking Mental Health & Addictions, you will therefore automatically be considered for a NESP position within the employers you ve applied to. However, please bear in mind that employers often give priority to those who rank Mental Health & Addictions as their first preferred practice setting. To apply for NETP: Simply rank ANY of the other 15 Practice Setting options. There are 16 Practice Setting options in total, including Mental Health & Addictions. All Practice Setting Options except Mental Health & Addictions come under the NETP programme. Therefore, by ranking any of the 15 NETP practice setting options, you will automatically be considered for the NETP programme. To apply for both NETP and NESP: simply rank first Mental Health & Addictions as one of your three preferred practice settings, plus rank one or two other practice setting options. This way, you will automatically be considered for both programmes. Applying to Primary Health Care Positions Primary Health Care positions include the following: Practice Nursing Iwi Providers School Nursing Well Child Tamariki Ora providers (e.g. Plunket) Hospice As part of your application you will be asked to select up to 3 preferences of practice settings or specialties. Within the list of specialties available you will see a specific option available Primary Health Care and you should select this as one of your 3 preferences, in the order in which you would like to have your application considered. In your covering letter you can give more detail about the exact primary care setting you would like to work in and employers will work with local primary health care providers to identify potential employment opportunities for new graduates. During your interview with an employer you will be given an opportunity to discuss in more detail the exact practice settings available within that organisation and which of these you feel you are best suited to. 11
If primary health care providers advertise for new graduate registered nurse positions you can still apply for these directly to them, outside of the ACE process however, to be eligible to be placed onto a NETP programme you must also be an ACE applicant. Applying to Aged Residential Care Positions As part of your application you will be asked to select up to three preferences of practice settings or specialties. Within the list of specialties available, you will see a specific option available Aged Residential Care and you should select this as one of your three preferences, in the order in which you would like to have your application considered. In your covering letter you can give more detail about the exact aged residential care setting you would like to work in and employers will work with local aged residential care providers to identify potential employment opportunities for new graduates. During your interview with an employer you will be given an opportunity to discuss in more detail the exact practice settings available within that organisation and which of these you feel you are best suited to. If aged residential care providers advertise for new graduate registered nurse positions you can still apply for these directly to them, outside of the ACE process however, to be eligible to be placed onto a NETP programme you must also be an ACE applicant. Applying to Private Health Sector Positions If you wish to work in a Private Surgical hospital, apart from the Southern Cross Hospitals (see below), you will need to apply to the Private Surgical hospital directly. Applying to Southern Cross Hospitals In addition to the 20 DHB s, Southern Cross Hospitals will also be recruiting via ACE Nursing! When completing your application, you will need to choose at least 1 employer but may choose up to 3; you will therefore have the opportunity to preference Southern Cross Hospitals by region as part of your application. Southern Cross Hospitals will be separated into 5 regions (see break down of regions in the FAQ s section of the ACE Website), these will include Auckland, Midlands, New Plymouth, Central and Southern. The regions taking part in the End of Year intake will be confirmed closer to the time that applications open. Applying to the Voluntary Bonding Scheme The Voluntary Bonding Scheme (VBS) is an incentive based payment scheme that has been introduced by the Government to reward Nursing graduates who agree to work in hard-to-staff communities and/or specialties. If you stay in a hard-to-staff community or specialty for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 years, the VBS is worth $2,833 per annum. When thinking about your choice of employers and specialty area, you may want to consider the communities (DHB s) and practice settings that are eligible for VBS. For more information on the communities (DHB s) and practice settings that are eligible for the Voluntary Bonding Scheme: 1. Visit the website http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/health-workforce/voluntary-bondingscheme/voluntary-bonding-2017-intake-information 2. Go to the tab labelled Terms and Conditions in the left hand column; 3. Scroll to the 2017 Intake section and open the document titled Nurse Terms and Conditions for Nurses 4. Scroll to point 4.2 and 4.3 in the document for details on which employers and ACE Practice Settings are eligible for the Voluntary Bonding Scheme in 2018. If you obtain a position in one of the hard-to-staff communities or practice settings, you will then be able to register for the VBS. 12
For information on how to register for VBS please refer to the above mentioned document Nurse Terms and Conditions for Nurses in the 2018 Intake section. 2018 Intake Timelines Mid-Year Intake 2018 Date Wednesday 11 th April Tuesday 8 th May Friday 18 th May Monday 21 st May Friday 29 th June Monday 2 nd July Friday 13 th July From 7 th July Tuesday 17 th July Wednesday 18 th July Wednesday 25 th July Thursday 26 th July Friday 26 th October 2018 Milestone Applications open Applications close Complete applications sent to employers Interviews and Assessments begin Interviews finish and DHB submit rankings Match and Audit completed Match complete and issued to employers July State Exam Offers sent to successfully matched graduates Students accept or decline offers Talent Pool opens Intake and Talent Pool closes End of Year Intake 2018 Date Wednesday 15 th August Tuesday 11 th September Friday 21 st September Monday 24 th September Friday 2 nd November Monday 5 th November Friday 16 th November From 9 th November Tuesday 20 th November Wednesday 21 st November Wednesday 28 th November Thursday 29 th November Friday 28 th June 2019 Milestone Applications open Applications close Complete applications sent to employers Interviews and Assessments begin Interviews finish and DHB submit rankings Match and Audit completed Match complete and issued to employers November State Exam Offers sent to successfully matched graduates Students accept or decline offers Talent Pool opens Intake and Talent Pool closes 13
Ace Process Flow Diagram 14
Part Two: ACE Application Step-by-Step Guide The Ace Process The online ACE application process consists of the following 1. Register and Create Your profile 2. Eligibility for ACE Nursing (confirm your eligibility for a NETP/NESP position) 3. Personal details 4. Education 5. Declaration 6. Preferences a. Employer b. Practice Settings 7. Documents a. Upload the following: i. CV ii. Cover Letter(s) iii. Academic Transcript iv. Residency Documents 8. Downloads available a. Template CV b. Applicant guide 9. References (nominate two referees and send reference requests) 10. Workforce/Diversity Questionnaire 11. Consent Navigation On the left hand side of your screen, you will see a number of links to the various pages. These are direct links to the sections and you can use these to move around and through the application process. 15
Register and Create your Profile Before you can commence your application you must first register within the site and create a profile. The information held within your profile (email address, contact numbers, postal/residential addresses etc.) can be updated at any time, even when applications have closed! Visit http://nursing.acenz.net.nz Register as a new ACE applicant or log in if you already have a profile registered Register To register a profile with ACE you will need to create a unique username and email address. Note that as your email address is unique, should you forget your password you will be able to use your email address to access this again. Therefore, it is vital you use an email address which can be regularly accessed throughout the duration of the intake and ensure that this email address is correct as we receive a high number of applications from candidates who make mistakes when entering their email address. ACE recommends that you DO NOT use your student emails as part of your registration. Remember this is a professional application, your contact details are your responsibility. If you have any issues logging in or lose your username, please contact the ACE Centre on 0800 223 236. 16
Create Profile Once you have registered you will need to enter your profile information. Remember the information held within your profile (email address, contact numbers, postal/residential addresses etc.) can be updated at any time, even when applications have closed! While we do capture postal and residential addresses, due to the tight timeframes, our requirement is to be able to communicate with everyone electronically and therefore it is vital you ensure your email address is always up to date. Your preferred contact phone number should be a number that you can be reached, or a message left, during normal business hours of 8am to 4.30pm. If you are going to be away during the course of the application process we ask that you authorise an alternate person for us to communicate with. Due to the Privacy Act 1993 requirements, ACE will not communicate with anyone other than yourself or your nominated alternative with regards to your application. 17
Start Your Application Once you have registered and created your profile you will be able to start your ACE application. There is no submit button for the ACE process, provided your application status is complete at the time applications close it will progress to the next stage of the process. Your ACE application is made up of the following nine sections, these sections appear down the left hand side of your page once you have commenced your ACE application. Quick Tip: Once logged into your application you can easily identify which sections are complete and which sections still need to be completed. The navigation panel on the left hand side of your screen will show next to the section if it is incomplete and if the section is complete. Eligibility for ACE Nursing This section includes your eligibility and privacy declarations. Note that if you do not meet the eligibility criteria your application will not be able to be deemed complete. Applicants in this position should approach employers directly. Details of the key contact people at each employer can be found in the Employer Information section of the ACE Nursing Website. To be eligible to apply to ACE for a NETP or NESP position you must meet all of the following basic criteria Either be a New Zealand Citizen, Australian Citizen or hold a Permanent Resident Visa (or Returning Resident Visa). Be in the final year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree approved by the Nursing Council of New Zealand leading to registration as a registered nurse or be awarded a Bachelor of Nursing degree approved by the NCNZ leading to registration as a registered nurse, no longer than 24 months before starting on a NETP or NESP programme. You must have completed your Bachelor of Nursing degree in New Zealand and have not passed your state final exam more than 2 years prior to starting on a NETP or NESP programme. You therefore have up to four opportunities to apply via ACE provided you still meet all eligibility criterions each time you apply. You must have not practised as a New Zealand Registered Nurse continuously (full time 0.8FTE or more) for longer than six months before starting on the NETP programme. Australian Citizens are eligible to apply to ACE nursing however you will not meet the Health Workforce New Zealand criteria for a funded NETP or NESP position. In the case that a graduate who has an Australian Passport, but does not hold a Permanent Resident Visa, is successfully matched via ACE, their position could be funded directly by the employer, or the employer could apply to Health Workforce New Zealand for an exception to the residency status policy for trainee funding. For more information about the Health Workforce New Zealand exception policy, please click here. International students who may have practised as a nurse overseas are eligible to apply providing that they have completed at least two years of their BN degree in New Zealand before Graduating in New Zealand. These students MUST have a Permanent Resident Visa by the time that applications close for any intake. No other variations of visas will be accepted, for example: Resident, Student or Working Visas. Graduates that do not meet these basic ACE criteria should apply directly to individual employers for private positions. We recommend checking the Job Search page on the Kiwi Health Jobs website as a first point to see which employers may be looking for registered nurses and also by checking the career web pages of each DHB. For further information about Permanent Resident Visa's please click here. For further information about Health Workforce NZ funded positions and FTE requirements please click here and navigate to the link 2/B46 18
To learn more about the NESP program visit: http://www.tepou.co.nz/initiatives/new-entry-tospecialist-practice-mental-health-and-addiction-nursing/47 19
Personal Details This section contains questions relating to residency, whether your will be overseas during any part of the application process and any special circumstances for applications such as not being able to commence on time. Please note that all fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory. This section also asks whether you have applied to ACE previously. If you are a re-applicant you must indicate within this section how many times you have applied previously. You must enter your legal name which appears on your passport, birth or marriage certificates. Name changes by deed poll must be a verified document which must be saved together with either your passport, drivers license of full birth certificate. Please note that to be eligible to apply through the ACE programme you are required to be either a New Zealand citizen or have been granted a permanent resident visa by New Zealand Immigration We will need to verify your residency (even if you are a New Zealand Citizen) and are required to view certified copies of the relevant documents. New Zealand Citizens: The photo page of New Zealand Passport plus either a New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver s License. For New Zealand Citizens in lieu of a New Zealand Passport, ACE will accept a New Zealand Citizenship Certificate or New Zealand Full Birth Certificate that is issued on or after 1 January 1998 and that carries a unique identification number. Australian Citizens: The photo page of Australian Passport plus either a New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver s License Permanent Resident Visa Holders: The photo page of an Overseas Passport plus the relevant Visa Document plus either a New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver s License Bear in mind that it is imperative that your residency documents are certified by one of the parties outlined below. Who can certify documents? Justice of the Peace Lawyer Court Registrar Police Officer Australian Citizens are eligible to apply to ACE nursing however you will not meet the Health Workforce New Zealand criteria for a funded NETP or NESP position. In the case that a graduate who has an Australian Passport, but does not hold a Permanent Resident Visa, is successfully matched via ACE, their position could be funded directly by the employer, or the employer could apply to Health Workforce New Zealand for an exception to the residency status policy for trainee funding. For more information about the Health Workforce New Zealand exception policy, please visit the ACE Nursing Website and follow the eligibility criteria link. Graduates that do not meet these basic ACE criteria should apply directly to individual employers for private positions. We recommend checking the Job Search page on the Kiwi Health Jobs website as a first point to see which employers may be looking for registered nurses and also by checking the career web pages of each DHB. 20
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Education Select the School of Nursing you attended from the drop-down list. 22
Academic Transcripts You will be required to submit your full academic transcript up to the date that you apply to ACE. These must be requested from the nursing school and verified by your tertiary institute. Be prepared, and request these from student services early, as it can take up to two weeks to process those. Transition to Placement Please select when you intend to sit state final as well as the employer and practice setting for your final placement. You will also select which employer (DHB) supported your final placement to transition. Finally, you will need to enter the area of practice, do not enter just the ward information. Potential employers want to know which clinical setting you concentrated on in your final placement. Clinical Experience Please indicate if you have had any experience as a Registered Nurse (RN) and if so, how many months experience you will have by the time positions for this intake begin. To clarify, if you have collectively worked more than six months as an RN before starting on the NETP/NESP programme you will not be eligible to apply via ACE. Please be aware this is irrespective of whether you worked full time, part time or on a casual basis during these six months. Declaration The completion and agreement with all parts of the Declaration section is mandatory. Health and criminal history declarations are declarations only, you don t need to provide any supporting evidence, it s just a place where you mention whether you have anything to declare or not, and if so, what it is. Also, ensure you disclose ANYTHING you can think of. If the employer sees you ve declared something very minor they ll just ignore it, however if they later find out that you had failed to declare something, this could result in your offer being revoked. So if you re not sure whether you need to declare something or not just declare it to be safe. FYI, minor traffic infringements don t appear on a criminal history check. For health declarations, you just need to mention anything that could potentially have an impact on your ability to perform the duties required of a Registered Nurse. Be aware that most employers do perform criminal history checks and extended checks under the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 as part of their own HR processes. 23
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ACE Preferences As part of your application you ll also nominate up to 3 employers and Practice settings as well as input the details for your 2 referees. It is essential that you have one Clinical Tutor from your final year and one Nurse Preceptor reference preferably from your final placement. ACE will not accept an employment reference for example. A Clinical Tutor is the person from your nursing school who supervises your placement, while the Preceptor is the person from the hospital or place of work that supervises your placement. Employer Preferences You can only be matched to one of the employers you have selected and ranked as one of your preferred places to work. You will select up to 3 employers and you are able to change your employer preferences up until the application close date. The reason we allow you to do this is because the algorithm wants to match you to your 1st preferred employer wherever possible. Therefore, if you received an interview with your 3rd preferred employer but not your 1st or 2nd, it is recommended that you then change your preferences to make your 3rd preferred employer become your 1st as this gives you the greatest chance of being matched to this DHB. All employers participate in the End of Year intakes, but only 9-12 participate in the Mid-Year. Check the ACE Nursing Website for details for each intake. When choosing your employers, do not to choose any employer you wouldn t legitimately work for because if you are offered a position, remember that this is the one and only position you will be offered for that intake, and if you decline, you will lose all opportunities to find a NETP or NESP placement in that particular intake. The employer(s) you rank will not be able to see the order in which you have ranked them. If you don t interview with an employer, it s highly unlikely they will have ranked you, and if they haven t ranked you, you can t be matched to them. Also, bear in mind that you are able to change the order in which you ranked the 3 employers and you can even delete one of your preferred employers if you wish. You are permitted to change the preferences of your employers by 9am Monday 2 nd July. To do this, you ll need to email the nursing@acenz.net.nz asking us to update your preferences for you. You cannot add new employers to your preference list. Practice Settings Once you have chosen your preference of employer you will need to select up to 3 practice settings or areas of specialist practice. The 16 practice settings that are available have been nationally agreed by key ACE stakeholders, however, you may find that what you can select can seem restrictive. If there are subspecialties you know you would like to practice in, for example, please highlight this in your cover letter as employers pay close attention to your cover letter for information regarding your practice setting preferences. Although you can only rank 3 practice setting specialties and all your preferred employers can see your practice setting preferences, you can still cater your cover letter to be specific for each employer, so BE SPECIFIC!!!! Outline in your cover letter exactly what practice setting you are ideally hoping for within that employer! Remember, there may be some differences across the 3 employers you have selected in terms of which Practice Setting specialties they have vacancies in. For each employer selected, you should make every effort to include in full the reasons why you have chosen the set of Practice settings and why you have set these in your order of 1/2/3. Employers will be able to see your choices of specialty in the order you have selected them. If you are highly focused on gaining a position in your first chosen specialty area, you should say so. If you would be happy working in any one of your 3 choices again, you should note that in your cover letters. If you seek further clarification, please contact your NETP coordinator and ask about aligning the ACE practice settings to any sub specialties that you want to consider. After applications close you can no longer change your practice setting preferences. So remember to talk about this in depth at interview stage as if you have changed your mind you can talk to them at interview stage about what positions they have available in their organisation. 25
Mental Health and Addictions (NESP) You can apply to both NETP and NESP programmes through ACE and you can apply for primary care, aged residential care and community care positions through ACE and if you are interested in a VLCA position, remember to mention this in your cover letter! To apply for NESP, you would simply rank Mental Health and Addictions as a practice setting preference as NESP relates purely to Mental Health & Addictions. NETP therefore covers all the remaining 15 practice setting specialties. So to apply to both NETP and NESP you would rank Mental Health PLUS one or two other specialties. To apply to NESP only, you would just rank MH&A and leave the other two practice setting options blank, and to apply to NETP only, you would NOT rank MH&A. You should know that employers work in partnership with other employers in primary care, aged residential care and community providers to recruit new graduates so if you rank one of these practice settings the employer will forward your applications to those facilities. Please Note: We recommend that you carefully research employer websites and speak to the NETP coordinators with your preferred employer so you can make an educated decision around which employers and which Practice Settings you choose. By ensuring you are applying to an employer and selecting practice settings they or their partner employers are likely to have vacancies in, you increase your chance of getting an interview and therefore the chance of being matched to a position. Practice setting preferences can only be selected and revised on or before the application closing date by you. Following application close date on 8th May 2018, ACE is unable to amend your practice setting preferences. 26
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Documentation In terms of the documents you need to provide, some of these need to be certified and some don t. Here is a list of who can verify your documents Justice of the Peace Lawyer Police Officer Court Registrar Identification and Residency Documents Identification and residency documents are a legal requirement and must be certified. If these are not certified, this will impact your application. You will need to provide certified copies of one full set of identification documents to meet the residency and identification requirements. If you have had a statutory name change by deed poll, please provide the proof by scanning this document with your Driver's License or Student Identification Card (This must be scanned as one PDF). New Zealand Citizens: The photo page of New Zealand Passport plus either a New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver s License Australian Citizens: The photo page of Australian Passport plus either a New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver s License Permanent Resident Visa Holders: The photo page of an Overseas Passport plus the relevant Visa Document plus either a New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver s License For New Zealand Citizens in lieu of a New Zealand Passport, ACE will accept a New Zealand Citizenship Certificate or New Zealand Full Birth Certificate that is issued on or after 1 January 1998 and that carries a unique identification number. All citizenship and residency documents that are uploaded against your application must be verified and sighted. Academic Transcripts You will be required to submit your full academic transcript up to the date that you apply to ACE. These must be requested from the nursing school and verified by your tertiary institute. Be prepared, and request these from student services early, as it can take up to two weeks to process those. Cover Letters When submitting your cover letters, you have two options. You can either submit one cover letter which all 3 employers you rank will be able to see, or, you can write separate cover letters for each of the employers that you have ranked. Writing separate cover letters is the best option! It allows you to customise your cover letter specifically to an employer, and remember, the employers don t know where you ve ranked them, so by writing separate cover letters you can make it sound like all three employers are your most preferred option! When addressing your cover Letters, remember to triple check who you ve addressed them to. Remember to be sure you ve put the correct employer and NETP or NESP coordinators name at the top of the letter. AND make sure you ve attached the right cover letter into the right employer upload slot. You will see in the application website that once you ve ranked your 3 employers you will then have 3 separate cover letter upload slots available for those 3 employers. Just make sure you attach the right letter to the right employer, for example, Waikato DHB do NOT want to know why you really want to work at Auckland DHB! 28
You should include Brief Introduction Brief summary of your skills and abilities Your main reasons for choosing each employer Your practice setting/sub-specialty preferences BE SPECIFIC! Finally, include any other details that you think are relevant to your application for a NETP/NESP position A cover letter should not read longer than one A4 sized paper. Employers want to know WHY you are interested in a NETP or NESP position in that organisation and what you can offer them. You should first note your main reasons for choosing that employer as one of your preferred places to work. Note that employers cannot see the order in which you ranked them. You can also use your cover letters to specify your true practice setting preferences. Although employers can t see your employer preferences, they CAN see your practice setting preferences. You can clarify in your cover letters what your nursing philosophy is and your passion for your chosen practice. Each DHB will offer different practice settings from what we advertise on our ACE websites. My advice to you is to visit the DHB websites and contact the NETP coordinators for this information. CV or Resume Lastly, you need to attach your CV or resume. You will find a CV template on our ACE website that you can use. ACE would recommend that you review this but only in so far as that you make sure you don t miss off any key information in your own resume. Use your resume as an opportunity to stand out from your peers. Some general CV advice: Don t go back more than 5 years if it s not nursing relevant experience. Try to keep your resume concise and completely error free! Attaching a photo on your CV isn t a bad idea as some employers prefer this given that they interview large numbers of applicants and it helps them remember which applicant you were. So if you do put a photo on your CV, just make it passport size and professional. 29
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Referee Reports The reference section of your application will most likely be the most stressful part when completing your application; however that is not to say that this is the most important aspect that employers consider when assessing your application. Feedback that we receive from employers indicates that interviews are the most important aspect of your entire application. Your referee reports are critical to your application. You will need to plan in advance who you will select as your Clinical Tutor referee and your Nurse Preceptor referee. You will want to have the following information ready by the first day that applications open for each intake Referee s Full Name Contact Phone Number Email Address One of your referees must be a Clinical Tutor from your nursing school or tertiary provider and the other must be a Nurse Preceptor employed by the organisation where you completed one of your placements in your final year. It is preferred that you use the nursing preceptor from your final placement in your third year however, where this is not possible ACE will accept references from one of your previous placements. ACE strongly suggests you speak with your referees prior to nominating them within the ACE system. Both references must be requested, completed and returned their referee reports for your application via the ACE system within the four weeks that applications are open in order for your application to be deemed complete and to progress to the next stage of the process. If you are experiencing difficulty getting in touch with your referees, or your referee's are not completing your references, please contact the ACE centre on 0800 223 236. 31
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Complete each reference detail one by one. Once you have completed the details for Reference One, click the send reference request button and then do exactly the same for reference two. An automated email will then be sent to the referee s email address that you have entered and your referee will receive a unique link ID which they will click, complete and send the reference for you. If the email address is incorrect in any way, your referee will not receive the email request. It is your responsibility to input this information correctly. 33
Submit After you have submitted your reference details, you will be able to edit or delete reference requests during the application period. If you delete a reference request to a Tutor or Preceptor, you MUST contact them in advance to let them know. You will want to gain a commitment from your referee s about when they will complete and submit the referee report form for you. It is important that you understand that your application will only show as complete in the referee section only when both of your referee s have completed and electronically submitted your referee report to ACE. You can check this status periodically simply by logging into your profile. 34
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Standardised Reference Check Form We use a standardised reference check form. Questions are divided into the four registered nursing competencies; professional responsibility, management of nursing care, interpersonal relationship and inter-professional relationships and these questions were constructed by the DoN s. Each question is graded on a likert scale of 1 5 across nationally agreed ratings of performance for a third year nursing student. Each employer evaluates your referee report card in alignment with their own local selection criteria and processes. Some employers for example put great weight on your referee report score; others don t look at reference scores at all, so really, it s not all about your referee report score as employers will use the ACE score differently. Each competency section is made up of a number of questions that the referee will score on a scale of one to five. This scale is based on the idea that a third year nursing student is expected to sit at about a 3, as a score of 3 is considered performing at the level expected of a 3rd year student. A score of 5 on the other hand means exceptional performance for a 3rd year student. Final Placement Late Starts If your final placement starts late during the ACE application period, ACE will accept references from Nurse Preceptors from earlier during your final year. Even if this is a placement in Mental Health, Aged Residential, Community or Primary Care, you need to request this reference. It has been nationally agreed that students who are affected by late placements can include the Nurse Preceptor details from your final placement in the referee section of your resume or CV. The NETP or NESP coordinators can then contact your Nurse Preceptor at a later date during the interview and assessment stage. This will not negatively impact your ACE application, but it is essential that you gain a reference from a Nurse Preceptor from your final placement during the interview and assessment stage. ACE are aware of the nursing schools and cohorts that are affected by late placements and all employers have been advised that they are free to contact your Nurse Preceptor from your final placement from the details you provide in your resume or CV. Referee reports must be completed by your two references by the closing date of the ACE intake. If ACE does not receive completed reports from both of your referee s by the cut-off date your application WILL NOT be submitted to employers. There are no exceptions to this policy. Once again, it is important that you understand that your application will only show as complete in the referee section only when both of your referee s have completed and electronically submitted your referee report to ACE. You can check this status periodically simply by logging into your profile. You won t be given access to your ACE references as ACE has no authority to release this to you, however, should you wish to see them, you can request them directly from your referees, but bear in mind they are not obligated. 36
Workforce Questionnaire The questions on this page are asked to help us meet our commitment to valuing diversity in our community and the workforce. They will be used for statistical analysis only and will not form part of the evaluative material for your application. 37
Consent Provide your consent to take part in the match and to be included in the ACE Nursing Talent Pool. 38
Complete Application Once, and only once your referee s have both returned their electronic referere report forms, will your application have the status complete. ACE will send reminders to any referee s with incomplete forms only during the last 5 days that the intake is open. Your profile will look like the screenshot posted on the previous page until this is complete. ACE recommends that you speak with your referees prior to nominating them within the ACE system. Both references must be requested, completed and returned their referee reports for your application via the ACE system within the four weeks that applications are open in order for your application to be deemed complete and to progress to the next stage of the process. If you are experiencing difficulty getting in touch with your referees, or your referee's are not completing your references, please contact the ACE centre on 0800 223 236. Once your application is complete it will look like the following screenshot. 39